Opposing views: The Voices

Mark DeVaughn

12/12/2015

With an opponent out of sight until New Year’s, Opposing Views found its next contributors in friendly territory. We caught up with both Cardinal Sports Network radio play-by-play maestro Scott Reiss and Pac-12 Network voice – and, of course, longtime Bootleg contributor – Troy Clardy for their thoughts on Stanford’s recently completed season.

The Bootleg: How
much fun has this year been? Am I the only one bummed there’s only
one more game?

Scott Reiss: Ton of fun.Most fun of the three
years in the booth for me because we were so much more diverse and
exciting offensively.

Troy Clardy: As remarkable as this season has been by
itself, consider this: we just experienced the most entertaining
four-week stretch in Stanford football history. Think about that
for a second.And
think where it has all led to. If you didn't have fun this season,
then the problem is you.

TB: If the Heisman Trophy ceremony goes according to
current predictions and Christian McCaffrey becomes yet another
Stanford runner-up, should we care? Should we be any more outraged
than we were from 2009 to 2011? How much of the blame goes to
Larry Scott and the Pac-12’s athletic directors who signed off on
a TV contract with so many 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. kickoffs?
SR: We should be mad because he is the most dynamic player
in college football and deserves the award, period.Clearly the late kicks
didn't help.But SEC
bias exists regardless.If
McCaffrey played for Alabama this season and Henry played for
Stanford, Christian would win it by a landslide.As it stands now, I
think it will be very close.

TC: Maybe I'm mellowing out, but if Stanford plays second
fiddle in New York again, I won't be mad. I won't be thrilled,
either, but I definitely won't be irate. If McCaffrey gets jobbed,
err, doesn't win it, it won't taint my view of his season or the
team's season as a whole. His records will still stand. And we'll
all still be going to Pasadena on January 1, which I will never be
mad at. If McCaffrey doesn't win it, it will say more about the
voters than it will about anybody else.

TB: I’d call this a year of redemption for the program.
Remound Wright atoned for ineffectiveness last year and became a
short-yardage and goal-line touchdown machine. The staff built a
sophisticated offense based around a varied group of weapons, not
just a simple power run-game formula. The offensive line grew up
and lived up to the legacy they inherited. Kevin Hogan became an
all-time Stanford great. Which of those impressed you the most?
SR: Hard not to go with Kevin.His efficiency this
season went through the roof.His two-minute acumen was as good as we saw in the country.Makes us all realize the
effect his personal struggles last year had on his play.

TC: Nothing in Stanford football happens without a physical
offensive line. Nothing. If the line doesn't block, the running
backs don't have holes. Hogan can't do what he needs to do. And
the offense can't diversify. You saw that happen in 2014, and look
how things turned out. Watching Joshua Garnett help the line
restore order and win an Outland Trophy in the process? That was
the key to everything.

TB: What
was this season’s biggest revelation? Was it the defensive line’s
ability to stay healthy after Harrison Phillips’ injury? Or Bryce Love? How about Alijah Holder emerging from freshman obscurity to
become a standout cornerback? Or perhaps something else I’m
missing?
SR:Probably
the D-line.Odds of
being down to three healthy legit options after week 1 and staying
the course all season were slim - especially given the injury
history of Scarlett and Shittu.But somehow they remained upright and effective.
TC: Yes to the defensive line and Love in particular, but
let me add one more: Conrad Ukropina. Remember how awful we all
felt about the kicking game after spring game? Was never an issue
this year. Ukropina goes 17-of-19, hits a 52-yarder, and beats
Notre Dame at the gun. Did you think any of those things were
possible eight months ago? (ED: Now that he mentions it, add
Ukropina’s name to the list of the redeemed.Filling in for an
injured Jordan Williamson in 2013 at USC, Ukropina had a chip-shot
field goal blocked in the Trojans’ 20-17 win).

TB: If
someone had told you on the afternoon of Sept. 5 that the Cardinal
would lose only one more time the rest of the season and end up in
Pasadena, what would you have told them?
SR:That they
were still jet lagged from Evanston.
TC:I would
have appreciated their positive thinking, then kept drinking alone
straight out of the bottle.

TB: Stanford is 17-1
all-time in games where Kevin Hogan attempts 20 or fewer passes.
I’ll give you a big “Go Green! Go White!” guess as to what the
exception to this rule is.
SR: Michigan State? I knew it was.
TC: Says
a lot about what Stanford still truly does best, doesn't it?
(ED: Hogan completed 10 of 18 throws for 143 yards in that 2014
Rose Bowl. Since, Stanford has won 10 straight – including six
games this season – where his stat line features 20 or fewer
passing attempts. Amazingly, the Rose Bowl triumph over
Wisconsin was the only Hogan start where he didn’t exceed 20
attempts in the 2012 campaign).

TB: What
are your thoughts about facing Iowa in the Rose Bowl?
SR: For me it's not about the matchup.I would have been just
as happy with Ohio State, Michigan State, or Northwestern
(well...).It's about
what the game represents: a third conference championship in four
seasons.Plus, it
paints 8-5 last season as the aberration.There were those who
believed our run was coming to an end last year, that we had
peaked.It's crystal
clear now that this program can (and probably will) compete for a
conference title year in and year out under the current regime.As for the game itself,
a Rose Bowl win is always important, but I see some extra
significance in this one because it's the "swing" game - we're 1-1
in Rose Bowls during this current stretch.2-1 sounds a lot better
than 1-2.

TC: Buckle up, Iowa. And bring extra chin guards and
mouthpieces. Winning the Rose Bowl would cement this program as an
elite one, and would also firmly establish David Shaw – who still
gets more respect nationally than he does locally – as one of the
very best in the country.

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Bootleg? If not, then you are missing out on
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award-winning website. Sign up today for the biggest and best in
Stanford sports coverage with TheBootleg.com
(sign-up)!

Are you fully subscribed to The\r\nBootleg? If not, then you are missing out on\r\nall the top Cardinal coverage we provide daily on our\r\naward-winning website. Sign up today for the biggest and best in\r\nStanford sports coverage with TheBootleg.com\r\n(sign-up)!

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The Bootleg: How much fun has this year been? Am I the only one bummed there’s only one more game?

Scott Reiss: Ton of fun.Most fun of the three years in the booth for me because we were so much more diverse and exciting offensively.

Troy Clardy: As remarkable as this season has been by itself, consider this: we just experienced the most entertaining four-week stretch in Stanford football history. Think about that for a second.And think where it has all led to. If you didn't have fun this season, then the problem is you.

TB: If the Heisman Trophy ceremony goes according to current predictions and Christian McCaffrey becomes yet another Stanford runner-up, should we care? Should we be any more outraged than we were from 2009 to 2011? How much of the blame goes to Larry Scott and the Pac-12’s athletic directors who signed off on a TV contract with so many 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. kickoffs? SR: We should be mad because he is the most dynamic player in college football and deserves the award, period.Clearly the late kicks didn't help.But SEC bias exists regardless.If McCaffrey played for Alabama this season and Henry played for Stanford, Christian would win it by a landslide.As it stands now, I think it will be very close.

TC: Maybe I'm mellowing out, but if Stanford plays second fiddle in New York again, I won't be mad. I won't be thrilled, either, but I definitely won't be irate. If McCaffrey gets jobbed, err, doesn't win it, it won't taint my view of his season or the team's season as a whole. His records will still stand. And we'll all still be going to Pasadena on January 1, which I will never be mad at. If McCaffrey doesn't win it, it will say more about the voters than it will about anybody else.

TB: I’d call this a year of redemption for the program. Remound Wright atoned for ineffectiveness last year and became a short-yardage and goal-line touchdown machine. The staff built a sophisticated offense based around a varied group of weapons, not just a simple power run-game formula. The offensive line grew up and lived up to the legacy they inherited. Kevin Hogan became an all-time Stanford great. Which of those impressed you the most? SR: Hard not to go with Kevin.His efficiency this season went through the roof.His two-minute acumen was as good as we saw in the country.Makes us all realize the effect his personal struggles last year had on his play.

TC: Nothing in Stanford football happens without a physical offensive line. Nothing. If the line doesn't block, the running backs don't have holes. Hogan can't do what he needs to do. And the offense can't diversify. You saw that happen in 2014, and look how things turned out. Watching Joshua Garnett help the line restore order and win an Outland Trophy in the process? That was the key to everything.

TB: What was this season’s biggest revelation? Was it the defensive line’s ability to stay healthy after Harrison Phillips’ injury? Or Bryce Love? How about Alijah Holder emerging from freshman obscurity to become a standout cornerback? Or perhaps something else I’m missing? SR:Probably the D-line.Odds of being down to three healthy legit options after week 1 and staying the course all season were slim - especially given the injury history of Scarlett and Shittu.But somehow they remained upright and effective. TC: Yes to the defensive line and Love in particular, but let me add one more: Conrad Ukropina. Remember how awful we all felt about the kicking game after spring game? Was never an issue this year. Ukropina goes 17-of-19, hits a 52-yarder, and beats Notre Dame at the gun. Did you think any of those things were possible eight months ago? (ED: Now that he mentions it, add Ukropina’s name to the list of the redeemed.Filling in for an injured Jordan Williamson in 2013 at USC, Ukropina had a chip-shot field goal blocked in the Trojans’ 20-17 win).

TB: If someone had told you on the afternoon of Sept. 5 that the Cardinal would lose only one more time the rest of the season and end up in Pasadena, what would you have told them? SR:That they were still jet lagged from Evanston. TC:I would have appreciated their positive thinking, then kept drinking alone straight out of the bottle.

TB: Stanford is 17-1 all-time in games where Kevin Hogan attempts 20 or fewer passes. I’ll give you a big “Go Green! Go White!” guess as to what the exception to this rule is. SR: Michigan State? I knew it was. TC: Says a lot about what Stanford still truly does best, doesn't it? (ED: Hogan completed 10 of 18 throws for 143 yards in that 2014 Rose Bowl. Since, Stanford has won 10 straight – including six games this season – where his stat line features 20 or fewer passing attempts. Amazingly, the Rose Bowl triumph over Wisconsin was the only Hogan start where he didn’t exceed 20 attempts in the 2012 campaign).

TB: What are your thoughts about facing Iowa in the Rose Bowl? SR: For me it's not about the matchup.I would have been just as happy with Ohio State, Michigan State, or Northwestern (well...).It's about what the game represents: a third conference championship in four seasons.Plus, it paints 8-5 last season as the aberration.There were those who believed our run was coming to an end last year, that we had peaked.It's crystal clear now that this program can (and probably will) compete for a conference title year in and year out under the current regime.As for the game itself, a Rose Bowl win is always important, but I see some extra significance in this one because it's the \"swing\" game - we're 1-1 in Rose Bowls during this current stretch.2-1 sounds a lot better than 1-2.

TC: Buckle up, Iowa. And bring extra chin guards and mouthpieces. Winning the Rose Bowl would cement this program as an elite one, and would also firmly establish David Shaw – who still gets more respect nationally than he does locally – as one of the very best in the country.

Are you fully subscribed to The\r\nBootleg? If not, then you are missing out on all the top Cardinal coverage we provide daily on our award-winning website. Sign up today for the biggest and best in Stanford sports coverage with TheBootleg.com (sign-up)!